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Research shows survivors’ sexual fantasies largely overlap with those of non-victims.

Sexual responses after trauma vary widely, including both decreased and increased engagement.

Supportive partners and clear communication help create positive sexual experiences for trauma survivors.

When discussing sexual trauma in professional therapy articles, conferences, or media catering to the general public, it is presented solely on what has been lost by survivors, i.e., sexual desire, erotic excitement, or a sense of embodiment and pleasure in one’s body. While these sexual symptoms are described frequently in sex therapy by sexual trauma survivors, they are only part of the broad array of sexual and erotic experiences that survivors can heal from and gain agency over time in sexual trauma-focused somatic sex therapy treatment.

In both clinical work and in new studies, many sexual trauma survivors report more hopeful outcomes around their partnered and solo sexuality. Many learn that the responses they express during partnered sex fall into one of the four Fs of trauma responses, namely: fight, flight, fear, and fawn. While many survivors do struggle with avoidance of any partnered sex—pushing partners away when triggered, or a pattern of disassociation during sex—others continue to experience desire and curiosity for partnered intimacy. Consequently, not all survivors of sexual trauma respond the same way to erotic and sexual experiences, and their sexual experiences are not always devoid of pleasure.

This brings up an important question: What actually happens to sexual pleasure and fantasy life after sexual trauma, and what does sexual healing actually entail?

What Kinds of Sexual Fantasies Do Trauma Survivors Actually Have?

In a recent 2024 study in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, Canivet and his colleagues examined sexual fantasies among 48 adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and 44 non-victims, all living in North America. The researchers identified 10 categories of fantasies, including romantic connection, group sex, and emotional needs like sexual validation.........

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